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Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Fort McMurray Councillor Allan Vinni stiffs pregnant ex-employee

Allan Vinni

Councillor Allan Vinni is facing a lawsuit from a former lawyer at his firm over wages he allegedly owes her. Lianne Locke, 33, says she worked at Allan Vinni Law Office for three years until she was laid off on May 3, the day encroaching wildfires forced a city-wide evacuation of Fort McMurray.

Until then, she worked mostly in family law for the firm.
In a statement of claim filed last Monday, she alleges Vinni owes her $15,000 in unpaid wages. She says the money was due May 1.

“I have sent him emails and text messages and voicemails indicating he owed me money, and they haven’t been answered,” she said in a Thursday evening phone interview from Windsor, Ont. Locke is eight months pregnant and already planned to spend her maternity leave in Ontario.

Locke says she was told she no longer had a job in an email sent May 18. Her statement says Vinni acknowledged some staff were still owed money at the time the email was sent. The statement says the last time Locke was paid was April 15. While the lawsuit is for $15,000, she says the total amount of unpaid wages could grow.

Vinni has garnered significant attention for his massive raise to $ 150,000 as Fort McMurray councillor and his recent venom against what he considers 'outsiders'.

Mr. Allan Vinni arrived in Fort McMurray in 2002 to set up shop as a lawyer, which in this mind would make him as much of an 'outsider' to the community as those he seems to have an issue with.